The Quite Nerdy Blog

Annihilation is... Honestly, it's quite an overwhelming film and a lot of this review is going to be me processing it. That's your warning that there will be mild spoilers dotted around and that this film is brilliant, on Netflix and best enjoyed with minimal information about it. The setup is moderately simple, in that a wall (called a shimmer) appears around a section of land, scientists are sent to investigate but none return. One (the husband of Natalie Portman) does return but in baffling circumstances so she and four other scientists head into The Shimmer to investigate. It's when inside that the plot gets crazy and that's the beauty of it. A lot of the stuff that happens isn't fully explained. There are little pieces to put together but no easy explanation and that's amazing. Word of warning though, as the plot gets on, it becomes much more metaphorical than literal, although not to the degree of mother!. There's also plenty of thematic connection...

My experience with the Paddington franchise didn't actually begin until this year so I'm still coming from a fairly novice place but let me break down my love for theses films. When the first one came out, I was still very cynical and fully believed that a film like Paddington was just for kids and that I shouldn't waste my time with it. Many told me it was good but I felt I had "more important" films to watch. Cut to the release of Paddington 2 and I was again hearing really good stuff but wasn't all that interested. That changed when my Film tutor came in one week raving about it but having not seen the first film, I felt I'd missed the boat. My chance came around when the campus cinema showed Paddington 2 though and I thought I'd catch up on the first one and then see the new one. Dear God, what a delightful weekend I had. I'll break them down one film at a time then, starting (obviously) with the first Paddington. It re-positions the stor...

We're now done with the 2018 Awards season and it's been a hell of a ride. Sure, I only ended up getting one prediction wrong with my Oscars predictions but there was admittedly a lot to like. Even with that though, there are plenty of films and people who deserved much more attention, not just at the Oscars but throughout the rest of the season. That's where this list comes in as I try and show some love to those who didn't get as much as they deserved. To clarify, any entry on this list will only be here if they had some attention over the season so films like Ingrid Goes West or Wind River, both of which were brilliant, aren't eligible as they were overlooked entirely. 7. The Boss Baby Haha, no, not even close. This film got way too much praise and it only works to be a joke (like here). To the real heroes! 7. Lady Bird Despite not winning anything at the Oscars, Lady Bird can't really make it much further than number seven because it won Best...

I was planning on writing this review for quite a while as Duncan Jones is one of my favourite directors working at the moment and a new film from him with a noir plot and a Blade Runner-esque aesthetic sounds perfect. And then I saw the film. This review almost didn't happen because it was a truly crushing watch for me but I'm going to do my best to dissect the movie and explain to you why you shouldn't watch it, even (or perhaps especially) if you're a fan of Duncan Jones. The plot follows a mute Amish bartender as he goes on the search for his missing girlfriend through a futuristic Berlin. Along the way, he'll uncover... Well, it seems like he's going to uncover a lot but I have no problem telling you that he doesn't really. There's some mild crime stuff going on and two wacky surgeons whose paths he keeps crossing with but that's it. The problem with the plot is that it tries to be too sprawling but with an intimate core and not enough time ...

Edit: this post was edited on 5th March to reflect how accurate my predictions were, with correct predictions in green and incorrect ones in red. It's Oscar time baby and that means one final bit of wild speculation. Admittedly, I have actually seen most of the films by this point (thanks in no part to Exeter getting Lady Bird late) so with a couple of exceptions, it's time to weigh up all the nominees. I'm breaking my predictions down into two categories, one hopeful answer with the film or actor that I think should win and one much more cynical answer that predicts what will win. With that said, let's get into it! Best Cinematography Deserves to Win and Will Win: Blade Runner 2049 For my first prediction, I'm actually letting my cynical side down for a second and hoping that the academy right the wrongs from previous years in one of the most underrated categories in the ceremony. Unfortunately, I'm going to dismiss Mudbound fairly quickly as despit...